Dr. Kevin Dwyer is our neighborhood hero. A hero is a person who is looked up to for doing something brave. My mom agrees that Dr. Dwyer is a hero because he helps save lives, he is kind, helpful and serves to protect our country. His title is lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. When not serving our country, Dr. Dwyer is a trauma surgeon at Fairfax Hospital. He is married and has one son named David. Dr. Dwyer is the true hero on our block.
Dr. Dwyer joined the army 28 years ago. He decided to join because he always wanted to be a doctor, and one way to make that dream come true was to join the Army. The Army paid for his education, and in return he must serve his country when he is needed. Dr. Dwyer was happy he made that decision to join the Army and is very proud to defend our country.
This is Dr. Dwyer’s second call to combat. His first was in 1991 during Desert Storm and most recently in July 2004 to October 2004. He was supposed to go to Iraq, but at the last minute his orders were changed to Afghanistan. He was stationed at the main air pad in Bagram, which is 30 miles North of Kabul (Kabul is the capital). His job was to take care of the people that were injured by land mines, bombs, accidents or whatever else happened. Bagram was a safer place to be because it was a controlled, well-protected area. The bombs that went off were usually, but not always, bombs that were found and never exploded. So we both agreed this was a better place to serve his three months this year than Iraq. Dr. Dwyer did mention there were times when he would fly to unsecured areas to help when he was needed. He could not talk much about this because he is not allowed.
WE TALKED a little about the conditions of where he had to work. They put up tents to sleep in and built hospitals, but nothing like we have in the states, and the bathrooms for the men were pipes coming out of the ground. I didn’t want to know anymore. He said the area he worked had what he needed, but the best part that made it tolerable was the people he worked with — nurses, doctors, the Afghani civilians and all the people he got to know. They were all very nice, respectful and gracious to each other. That made his time serving as enjoyable as could be. He also mentioned that the Afghani people liked fighting with the Americans, because we care about what is right and what is wrong.
I asked Dr. Dwyer if he was afraid. He said he was never afraid, except when the helicopter engine conked out, but intrigued. I had to look that word up, but I now know what he meant. This experience fascinated him.
I changed the direction of my questions a little bit because I was interested in what they ate. The local food was not cooked properly; it did not meet the Americans’ standards, so the military flew food in. They had chicken, pork, lobster tails, potatoes, rice, desserts and soda. They had a lot more, but these were the foods Dr. Dwyer mentioned. He also said that the helicopter unit had the best cook, and [he] always looked forward to when they made the meals.
Before I thanked Dr. Dwyer, I asked if he wanted to say anything else. He let me know that serving in the Army for 28 years, he feels he has done his share for the country and that it makes him feel very patriotic and proud. He also said he was very happy to be home. I told Dr. Dwyer I was very happy he was home, too.
That ended my interview with Dr. Dwyer I thanked him for his time, but I also thanked him for keeping us safe. Dr. Kevin Dwyer is a true local hero, and I am honored to know him.